This relates generally to Internet websites that are populated by crowdsourced data.
Crowdsourced data is data that is provided by a large number of unknown individuals via the Internet. For example, in traffic collection systems, a map may be maintained about traffic conditions. The actual data may be provided by users of the roadways who supply information about traffic conditions they encounter. This information may then be collected and posted in a user friendly display.
Another traffic related use of crowd source data is in connection with websites which post information about speed traps. The source information comes from drivers who submit the information about the location of speed traps to a website.
One benefit of crowdsourced data is that it can be collected and displayed at almost no cost to the website host. Thus, because of its economic nature, functionality may be provided that would not otherwise be available because of prohibitive costs. By distributing the task of providing the data among a large number of people, a large amount of data, which may be very meaningful, may be collected and displayed, in some cases, in a fairly automated fashion.